They have found a way to effectively help refugees. A training project for people who want to work in IT has been launched

The 'Ty nowa, Ty nowy – dla Ukrainy odnowy' project is a training venture that allows people to gain valuable knowledge and experience in the IT field. It is aimed mainly at people who came to Poland because of the war. As its authors say, it is a way of helping wisely, which, on the one hand, combines the needs of Ukrainians residing in Wroclaw with the expectations of the Polish IT labor market, and, on the other hand, looks ahead, providing Ukraine with cadres who will help lift the country after the war.

Unfortunately, the prolonged war, incessant attacks by Russian troops, bombardment by missiles and Russian-Iranian drones, continue to prevent our citizens from returning to their homeland. That's why it's so important that Ukrainians residing in Poland have the opportunity to expand and upgrade their skills, which will allow them to earn better wages. I hope that Poland will also benefit, because then our citizens here will pay higher taxes. In time, when Ukraine finally wins the war, our refugees will have the opportunity to return to Ukraine and continue working in their homeland.

Yurii Tokar, Consul General of Ukraine

A chance for a dignified and independent life in Poland

The project was launched on August 8 this year and is being implemented by Hirely, a Wroclaw-based company, with the support of Credit Agricole, Santander Consumer Bank and TEB Education. The initiative is also supported by Invest in Wroclaw, a project of the Wroclaw Agglomeration Development Agency, whose majority shareholder is the city of Wroclaw.

We are an entity set up by the city to participate in business projects, as well as in all those that stimulate our labor market. Since the beginning of the refugee crisis, we were involved together with the District Labor Office in organizing jobs for refugees from Ukraine, so that this time they are forced to spend in Wroclaw, they can spend with dignity and independently, including financially. At the time, we diagnosed many barriers, including competence, language and psychological barriers. That's why I'm extremely proud of this project, because it also brings up good things for our labor market, as we are still short of IT workers. On the other hand, we are an extremely strong center in this industry, so I have no doubt that the quality of this training is top-notch. However, the most important thing is the development of Ukrainian human resources, which will be invaluable in the future reconstruction of Ukraine, which is also very important for us.

Magdalena Okulowska, president of the Wroclaw Agglomeration Development Agency

The point is to give a rod instead of a fish

The idea for the project was born in the minds of the team at Hirely, an IT company. According to Filip Majchrowski, its president and originator of the project, polish companies, especially in the IT industry, face personnel problems in many areas, and the recruitment process for a suitable specialist can take up to several months. This consumes masses of financial resources and energy of the recruitment team.

- Experienced IT specialists are even in demand. At the same time, there are hundreds of thousands of people from Ukraine in Poland who would be happy to find their way in the IT labor market, but do not have the right qualifications. Hence the idea to offer those willing to improve their professional qualifications, in line with the expectations of the Polish labor market, especially the IT industry. This is the proverbial fishing rod instead of the fish itself. Our project is intended to help in a wise way, providing an opportunity for professional retraining, opening the door to one of the best-paid sectors of the economy,' says Filip Majchrowski.

Hirely's management emphasizes that together with their partners, they have decided to jointly support a free and independent Ukraine with these activities.

As part of the project, participants acquire unique competencies in learning programming and testing languages. The project itself consists of three stages, culminating in a certificate confirming the skills acquired during the program. The participants of the project are citizens of Ukraine, but its authors decided that the project should not be closed to Poles, who also take an active part in it.

Bank jobs will be found at the bank

Both internships and job opportunities are possible at both partner banks.

Participants in the three-month programming course, in the second stage, are sent to our bank and here they undergo a three-month internship that will prepare them for employment.

Przemysław Przybylski, spokesman for Credit Agricole

 

After the internship at the bank, the course participants are ready to officially join the team of programmers, and we offer them cooperation for at least 24 months as part of the project, on very good terms.

Joanna Drogi, head of the analytics and digital delivery team at Santander Consumer Bank

Polish, English and programming languages

Project participants make no secret of their satisfaction with the opportunity to improve their skills. They also hope to find employment in the industry after completing the training.

Even before the war I studied programming in Wroclaw. When the war started I was in Ukraine on vacation. I found out about the project from the Internet. I realized that this was an excellent opportunity for me and decided to give it a try. For the past three months I have been taking part in a training course where we learn Polish, English and programming language, among other things. I still have three months of the course ahead of me and the same amount of internship. I hope that after the project is over, I will also find a good job. I am very happy about it," he said.

Dmytro Ryazanov, project participant

 

Previously I worked as a technical support specialist, I decided that I wanted to get more involved in the IT field. I arrived in Wroclaw on March 10 and when I started looking for a job, I found information about this program. I thought it would be a very good start to develop myself in this field. The course is conducted in a very interesting way, we work on interesting projects. I hope to find a job in the IT industry after the training.

Yuliia Ostrovska, project participant

The project is being implemented as planned, and Hirely is planning further editions of the program, hoping that the project will become a model of good practice for similar activities in other regions of Poland.